To request a copy of a police report in PA, you go to the agency that responded to the incident: the Pennsylvania State Police for crashes on state highways and in rural areas without local coverage, or the municipal police department that took the call everywhere else. Crash reports cost $22 from PSP and up to $15 from most local departments ($25 in Philadelphia), and access is limited to the people involved, their attorneys, and their insurers. Other kinds of reports — incident, theft, vandalism — go through Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law, which any member of the public can use.
Who Is Allowed to Request a Report
Crash reports are not open to the general public. Pennsylvania law limits access to people involved in the crash, their attorney or insurance company, the federal government, military branches, Commonwealth agencies, and officials of political subdivisions or agencies of other states.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Title 75, Chapter 37 – Reports and Accident Investigation Curiosity is not on that list.
Non-crash police reports work under a different rule. The Right-to-Know Law starts from the presumption that government records are public, so anyone can submit a request.2Office of Open Records. Citizens’ Guide to the Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act An agency can withhold records if a specific exemption applies, but it has to prove that exemption, not you.
What to Have Ready Before You Ask
The more precisely you can identify the incident, the faster the agency can find the file. Pull together:
- The exact date of the incident.
- The location — street address, intersection, or highway mile marker.
- Your name and, if you know them, the names of others involved.
- The report or incident number from any card or receipt the officer gave you at the scene. This is the fastest way to pull the record.
- The type of incident: crash, theft, assault, and so on.
Have a valid photo ID on hand. In-person requests want a government-issued ID like a driver’s license or passport, and the PSP online portal asks for identifying information to confirm you are entitled to the report.
Figuring Out Which Agency to Ask
The report is held by whichever agency responded. PSP covers state highways and areas without a dedicated municipal department, mostly rural townships; everything else is local. If you are not sure, check the paperwork from the scene, or call the non-emergency line for the local department where it happened and ask whether they or PSP took the call. Sending your request to the wrong agency just delays it, because the forms, fees, and process are not the same.
Requesting a PSP Crash Report
PSP takes crash report requests online or by mail, and online is the standard route.
Online
Wait at least 15 days from the date of the crash before searching, because the report will not be in the system before then. You can search the PSP portal by incident number or, if you do not have that, by last name and incident date. Fill out the online application with your information and your reason for the request. PSP approves or denies within seven business days. If approved, you get an email with a link to pay the $22 fee, and the report arrives electronically in a separate email.3pa.gov. Search – CrashReports
By Mail
Download PSP Form SP 7-0015 (Application to Obtain Copy of Police Crash Report) from the PSP website, complete it, and mail it to the PSP Crash Reports Unit with a check or money order for $22 made out to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.4pa.gov. SP 7-0015 Application to Obtain Copy of Police Crash Report Expect several weeks for a mailed request.
Requesting a Report From a Local Department
Municipal departments handle their own requests, and the process varies. Some take requests in person, some by mail, some through an online form; some require a visit to the records division during business hours. Check the department’s website or call ahead to confirm the preferred method and any forms.
For non-crash records like incident, theft, and vandalism reports, most departments treat the request as a Right-to-Know Law request. Submit it in writing to the agency’s designated open records officer. The agency then has five business days to respond in writing: grant the request, deny it with a legal explanation, or invoke a 30-calendar-day extension for a permitted reason.2Office of Open Records. Citizens’ Guide to the Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act
What You Will Pay
- PSP crash reports: $22 per certified copy.4pa.gov. SP 7-0015 Application to Obtain Copy of Police Crash Report
- Local police crash reports: up to $15 per copy in most municipalities.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Title 75, Chapter 37 – Reports and Accident Investigation
- Philadelphia crash reports: up to $25 per copy. Philadelphia is the only city where the statutory cap exceeds the statewide $15 limit.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Title 75, Chapter 37 – Reports and Accident Investigation
- Other records under the Right-to-Know Law: up to $0.25 per page for black-and-white copies, dropping to $0.20 per page after the first 1,000 pages, and up to $0.50 per page for color.5Office of Open Records. Official RTKL Fee Schedule
Agencies cannot charge you for searching, reviewing records for public access, or redacting exempt information. When total fees are expected to exceed $100, the agency can require prepayment of an estimate before it starts work.5Office of Open Records. Official RTKL Fee Schedule
How Long It Takes
For a PSP crash report, count on the 15-day minimum before it hits the system, then seven business days for PSP to approve or deny your online request.3pa.gov. Search – CrashReports After payment, delivery is electronic. Three to four weeks from crash to report in hand is typical if nothing snags.
Right-to-Know requests to local departments run on the five-business-day clock. The response might be the records, a denial, or a notice that the agency is taking up to 30 additional calendar days.2Office of Open Records. Citizens’ Guide to the Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act Extensions are common when records need legal review or redaction, so build in slack if you have a deadline.
When a Request Gets Denied
Not every report is available. The most frequent reason for denial is that the report relates to an active criminal investigation. Section 708(b)(16) of the Right-to-Know Law exempts records tied to criminal investigations, including investigative notes, correspondence, video, and any information that would reveal the progress of the investigation, compromise a defendant’s right to a fair trial, or endanger someone’s safety. That exemption does not cover basic police blotter information or routine traffic reports, which remain accessible even when a broader investigation is underway.
Other grounds for denial include records that would threaten personal security, records classified for homeland security or public safety, and records tied to ongoing noncriminal investigations. When an agency denies a request, it has to do so in writing and cite the specific legal basis.2Office of Open Records. Citizens’ Guide to the Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act
How to Appeal a Denial
You have 15 business days from the mailing date of the denial to appeal to the Office of Open Records. The OOR provides an online appeal form, with printable PDF and Word versions available on its website.6Office of Open Records. OOR – File an Appeal
Include a copy of your original request and a copy of the agency’s denial, and state clearly why you believe the records should be public. The OOR issues a final determination within 30 days of receiving your appeal. You can also opt into mediation when you file, which pauses the OOR’s deadline while both sides try to work it out.6Office of Open Records. OOR – File an Appeal On appeal, the burden of proving the exemption still rests with the agency, which has to show by a preponderance of the evidence that the record falls under a valid exemption.
If the Report You Get Has Errors
Police reports sometimes contain mistakes: a wrong license plate, an incorrect description of the damage, a misidentified street. If you spot one, write to the department that produced the report. Identify the report by number and date, explain exactly what is wrong, and attach evidence supporting the correction — photographs, medical records, witness statements.
Officers have discretion about amending a report. They are more likely to fix clear factual errors like a misspelled name or wrong vehicle color than to revisit judgment calls about fault. Even when the department declines to change the original, your written correction request and supporting evidence usually become part of the file. That matters later: insurers and courts can weigh your supplemental material alongside the original report, and adjusters often accept a supplemental statement to address minor discrepancies when assigning fault.
Limits on How You Can Use the Report
Once you have the report, federal law restricts how you can use the personal information in it. The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act bars the release and misuse of personal information from motor vehicle records, with exceptions for purposes like insurance claims investigation, litigation, and government functions.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 2721 – Prohibition on Release and Use of Certain Personal Information From State Motor Vehicle Records Using a crash report to pursue your insurance claim is fine. Using the names and addresses in it for marketing or solicitation is not, and can expose you to federal liability.